Note: this post describes my uncompensated experience at a preview event and is not a review. Sauce Pizza and Wine in the latest addition to the booming Shops at West End in Saint Louis Park. This Sauce is not to be confused with Sauce Spirits and Soundbar, which is now changing its name due to the trademark conflict. Sauce is from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts. The owners, Michael McDermott and Jason Merritt, went to college here and are also working on opening Rojo Mexican Grill also located in the Shops at West End. Ordering pizza here is and the dining style is similar to that of Noodles and Company or Punch Pizza: stand in line to order, take your drink and a number with you and staff will bring out your food. My first impression of their Mozzarella, Fontina Cheese & Basil pizza, which is at the top of their menu, is that it is thinner than a lot of Neapolitan-inspired pies. It's very easy to eat and pieces can be held in one hand easily. The cheeses were quite flavorful and they had a nice bite. The dry crust paired with the fairly wet top. The edges are small and crunchy. The strangest aspect, however, is that for a restaurant called Sauce, there was hardly any of their namesake to speak of. In fact, I later tried a couple slices of their Rosemary Potato pizza (with spinach, feta and olive tapenade) and there was no sauce to speak of. The Rosemary Potato is actually quite tasty and a fun combination of flavors but leaned heavily on the dry and salty side. No complaints, however, as it pairs very well with their Tangent Winery Pinot Grigio, which is an exclusive to Sauce. Sidenote: Tangent Winery sells a Pinot Gris and rips on wineries making Pinot Grigio on their site. Strange. Anyway, it's a light and summery wine that's very refreshing and recommended. I also enjoyed their cheesecake which is simple (to my liking), very tasty, had a soft texture, and light but filling. Overall the experience and food I had at this preview of Sauce was good. It's a perfect fit for the area, a working concept and the staff was fantastic. I'll come back in a couple months and revise this post if needed if the experience is much different than this preview event. Note: a couple cohorts with the Heavy Table stopped by you can read another take on Sauce Pizza and Wine there. Sauce Pizza & Wine 1610 West End Blvd Saint Louis Park, MN 55416 952-657-5020

Pepperoni Pizza at Sauce Spirits and Soundbar, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Sauce Spirits and Soundbar opened this summer on Lake and Lyndale and per the name and what I had heard about it I assumed it was a place to get drinks and listen to live music. I had visited only briefly not long after it was opened and saw there was actually a dining area in addition to the stage. I stopped by again, essentially by accident when trying to try out the new Lyndale Tap House which had its opening party the weekend previous but stayed closed the day I arrived to open the next day. Bummed, I looked at the menu posted at the door of Sauce a few doors down and noticed pizza.

Not only pizza, there's more of a full menu here and it felt more upscale than I anticipated. I ordered a pepperoni pie and a pint of Fat Tire. When my pizza arrived, I was a bit surprised that it looked like midwestern bar pizza. In fact, it reminded me of Dulono's Pizza a couple doors down.

Tasting this pizza, however, is anything but Midwest-style. Sure, it's tavern-cut into squares but the amount of cheese wasn't over the top -- it was quite balanced with the sauce. The sauce, for a place named Sauce, was actually the most pronounced ingredient: "zesty," the bartender described it as and I can't find a better adjective. It's spicy and hot but doesn't overpower. I asked what was in it and was told it was a secret. My guess is that red pepper plays a large role here. The crust was cracker-like and there wasn't really any grease to speak of -- a rare find amongst pizza that looks like this.

In other words, the pizza at Sauce Spirits and Soundbar has all the positive qualities of Midwest-style pizza without any of the negatives. Weird, and impressive.

With numerous options for pizza within just a couple blocks, Sauce is one of my new favorites. There's also pizza by the slice on weekend nights until late, a free jukebox and a large vending machine with various CDs from local artists. Cute. Happy hour has $3 taps and wine from 4pm until 7pm. Yes, $3 wine.

If I'm not here soon for a show, I'll be back for happy hour.

Sauce Spirits and Soundbar
3001 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-822-6000